Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

It’s an intriguing game in the competitive AFC North on Monday night in Ohio, when the Cleveland Browns (9-3) welcome the Baltimore Ravens to the First Energy Stadium. This game could be key to determining the play-off hopes of these teams. When the teams met in Week One, the Browns suffered a pretty heavy defeat. Things have changed for Cleveland since then so it will be interesting to see what happens on Monday night. Read on to see where the best betting value for Monday night football can be found!

Ground games key to the outcome

When these two teams met in the first week of the season, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski treated the encounter like a preseason game. The outcome was predictable, with the Ravens triumphing 38-6 and the Browns looking especially ineffective on offense. Heading into this Week 14 encounter, Cleveland is a very different animal. The Browns’ defense is a lot more resilient for one thing. Last week, in the 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans, the Browns defense held Derrick Henry to 60 rushing yards and one touchdown, an impressive feat.

On offense, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is really finding some form too. Last week, he threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns, garnering a rating of 147.0. The Ravens pass defense is pretty good, though, giving up an average of 226.1 yards per game and having a rating of 89.3 – the ninth best in the NFL this season.

Monday’s game is a match-up between two of the best running teams in the NFL right now. The Ravens are number one on the league and the Browns number two when it comes to rush yards per game gained. The Browns average 4.9 yards per carry and 157.8 yards per game, while the Ravens average 5.2 yards per carry and 169.0 yards per game. How the two defenses cope with the opposition ground game could therefore determine the result on Monday.

Our Pick: Browns to win by 1-6

This is a really tough game to call. The AFC North, which is currently topped by the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a very competitive division. Our tip is that the Browns will win a close game by one to six points. 888Sport is offering odds of +370 on that outcome, which looks very tempting to us. The Browns have been building momentum in recent weeks with a good run of wins and we think that home advantage will give them a crucial edge in this contest.

Our pick: Browns to win by 1-6 @ +370 with 888Sport